Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

40 reviews

fantastiskfiktion's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Racism

Moderate: Pregnancy and Death of parent

merbears's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Self harm, Racism, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Death of parent, Colonisation, Classism, Xenophobia, Blood, Confinement, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Cultural appropriation, and Death

Minor: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Murder

norspider's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

You can visit other worlds if you're very, very brave.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January mostly follows January Scaller, a young girl growing up as the ward of a wealthy and eccentric collector. Her days are spent in hazy boredom, missing her father while he works. Until one day, January stumbles upon a door that opens to another world. From then her life is a series of searches, upheavals, chases, and escapes. 

The first time I read Ten Thousand Doors I stopped after the first chapter. It was good, just not the story I was looking for at the time. Almost a year later I picked it up again and devoured it. The writing is beautifully imaginative and vivid (too much, at times). Each world you visit feels real and lived-in. The characters described with such depth you can almost touch them. The story could have been told in fewer words, but it is such a rich experience the way it is. 

I would have followed January and Bad through another 10,000 Doors. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, and Classism

Moderate: Racism, Blood, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent

Minor: Violence

amaranth_wytch's review

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Blood, Confinement, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Grief, and Self harm

Minor: Gun violence

antoniac's review

hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Violence

Minor: Abandonment

craftysnailtail's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I can't get enough of Harrow's style of writing. Her metaphors and descriptions are like nothing I've encountered in writing before. Everything feels lyrical and alive. It's honestly difficult to move on after reading one of her books because it's like I have a book hangover, but in the worst way. I love the story and the characters, but what I can't move on from is Harrow herself. Her style almost ruins reading anything else after finishing a novel of hers.

Overall, I highly recommend this book just for Harrow's style alone, but it's also a fascinating plot with creative and well developed characters. Yes, it starts off rather slow, but that's extremely intentional. Yes, January feels frustratingly naive, but of course she is given her living situation. This book is all about adventure, imagination, and developing your own life's narrative. One of the top books I read all year and I recommend it to everyone!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Self harm

Moderate: Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Racial slurs

Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Death

anastasiamakes's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I've really enjoyed all of the Harrow I've read so far and can't believe I waited so long to get round to this one which I think is my favourite of the bunch.

It's whimsical but dark, tackles important topics without feeling preachy, and made me cry happy tears.

I have so many quotations highlighted in this book, it's just so beautifully written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Abandonment, Self harm, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood, Racism, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Slavery

m_siege's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely spectacular! I could not put it down. The world building is so detailed without being overdone and I felt like I was in each scene as I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Death of parent and Grief

silverhill's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Stalking, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Classism, Colonisation, Bullying, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Mental illness

kat_smith24's review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Gun violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Self harm